User support device for installation within a shower

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a user support device for installation within a shower wherein, the shower comprises an enclosure with an open side for access there into. The device comprises an elongate vertical support member secured within the shower closer to the threshold thereof wherein, the vertical member extends from the shower floor, and at least one elongate horizontal support member extending between vertical member and inner surface of the of the shower. The horizontal and vertical members serve as a support for the user to hold on to while getting in or out of the shower.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/173,142 entitled “Shower Safety Device” filed Jun. 9, 2015, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to equipment installed within households for providing support to users and more particularly to a support device for installation within a shower for enabling a user to hold on to it while getting in and out of the shower.

It is very common for people to injure themselves in and around showers and bathtubs due to slippery surfaces and unusual movements such as, bending, twisting, and stepping over obstacles. Unfortunately, these types of injuries can be very dangerous and even lethal, particularly for aging, fragile and sick people.

Various devices are known in the art for use in and around showers for increased safety. Such devices include handrails to assist the person in and out of the shower and solid shower doors to prevent a falling person from landing outside the shower and striking, for example, a toilet. However, typical handrails are mounted on a wall and therefore provide unbalanced support insofar as they can be held using only one hand. Solid shower doors are typically glass and may break upon impact thereby possibly causing additional injury. In addition, installing a solid shower door is an expensive undertaking that may require professional assistance.

As can be seen, there is a need for a safety device that can be easily installed into an existing shower or bathtub. It is desirable that this device provides a handhold for a user who is positioned somewhere other than a shower wall. It is desirable that this device is capable of preventing, or at least impeding a fall. It is also desirable that this device is compatible with using a shower curtain in the regular manner.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a user support device for installation within a shower wherein, the shower comprises a walled enclosure with an open side for providing user access there into. The support device, which is simple in construction, comprises an elongate vertical support member, an elongate horizontal top rod, a plurality of elongate horizontal support members, and a plurality of connectors about which, the vertical and the horizontal members and the top rod are secured to one another and within the shower.

The top rod, which comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section, extends across the entire span of the open side. The top rod is secured to the shower wall or walls by means of appropriate connectors. The vertical member comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section. The vertical member extends between the uppermost portion of the shower floor and the top rod. More particularly, the vertical member is disposed substantially midway of the open side of the shower and closer to or at the threshold thereof. The vertical member is secured to the top rod by means of appropriate connectors and fasteners.

Each horizontal member, similar to the vertical member, comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section. Each horizontal member extends between the vertical member and the wall of the shower as connected by appropriate connectors and fasteners. The horizontal members are disposed parallel to one another. The horizontal members provide a ladder like structure that helps the user to get up or down. Each horizontal (and as well as a vertical) member serves as a support for the user to hold on to while getting in or out of the shower. The surfaces of the vertical and the plurality of horizontal members are coarse for providing grip to a user enabling him/her to enter or leave the shower.

Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the disclosed system and method are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this disclosure, wherein:

FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is an image of the support device installed within a shower.

FIG. 2, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is an image of the support device showing the connection between the top rod and the vertical member.

FIG. 3, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is an image of a user entering the shower by holding onto the support device.

FIG. 4, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is an image of the support device closely showing the connection between the top rod and the vertical member.

FIGS. 5 and 6, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is an image of a user in the shower installed with the support device.

FIG. 7, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is an image of the horizontal member connected to the vertical member.

FIG. 8, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is a top view image of the horizontal and vertical members.

FIG. 9, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is an image of the support device even closely showing the connection between the top rod and the vertical member.

FIG. 10, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is an image of the horizontal member connected to the wall.

FIG. 11, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is another image of the support device installed within a shower.

FIG. 12, according to an alternate embodiment of the present disclosure, is another image of the support device installed within a shower.

FIG. 13, according to an alternate embodiment of the present disclosure, is another image showing the joint between the vertical member and the bathtub wall.

The various aspects of the present disclosure mentioned above are described in further detail with reference to the aforementioned figures and the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments.

FIGURES Reference Numerals

-   10—User Support Device -   20—Elongate Horizontal Top Rod -   30—Elongate Horizontal Support Member -   40—Elongate Vertical Support Member -   50—Connector

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, a reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which the specific embodiments that may be practiced is shown by way of illustration. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and it is to be understood that the logical, mechanical and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments. The following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense.

The present invention comprises a user support device for installation within a shower wherein, the shower comprises a walled enclosure with an open side for providing user access there into. More particularly, the walled enclosure may conventionally include three planar walls or a single curved wall, or any combination thereof, while the open sides is selectively opened or closed by the user by sliding a shower curtain over a curtain rod. Alternatively, the shower may comprise a corner portion of a bathroom including, in lieu of the three walls, two mutually-perpendicular planar walls or a single curved wall spanning the aforesaid corner.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 11, the support device 10, which is simple in construction, basically is a frame assembly comprising an elongate vertical support member 40, an elongate horizontal top rod 20, a plurality of elongate horizontal support members 30, and a plurality of connectors 50 about which, the vertical 40 and the horizontal members 30 and the top rod 20 are secured to one another and within the shower.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 9 and 11, the top rod 20, which comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section, extends between the opposing surfaces of the wall (in case of single curved wall) or walls (in case of multiple planar walls or a combination of planar and curved walls) of the shower. Notably, in the event of the shower being a corner portion of the bathroom, the top rod 20 may be an L-shaped rod or a curved rod extending between the wall (or walls) of the shower. All in all, the top rod 20 spans the entire span of the open side. More particularly, the top rod 20, similar to the curtain rod, is disposed closer to threshold of the shower and perhaps closer and parallel to the curtain rod itself. Notably, the sliding of the curtain is independent of the support device 10. The top rod 20 is secured to the shower wall or walls by means of appropriate connectors 50. The top rod 20 is preferably made of a hearty material, such as, stainless steel. The vertical member 40 comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section. The vertical member 40 extends between the uppermost portion of the shower floor (i.e., a shower pan) and the top rod 20. More particularly, the vertical member 40 is disposed substantially midway of the open side of the shower and closer to or at the threshold thereof. The vertical member 40 is secured to the top rod 20 by means of appropriate connectors 50 and fasteners.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 5 through 8, 10 and 11, each horizontal member 30, similar to the vertical member 40, comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section. Each horizontal member 30 extends between the vertical member 40 and the wall of the shower as connected by appropriate connectors 50 and fasteners. The horizontal members 30 are disposed parallel to one another. The horizontal members 30 provide a ladder like structure that helps the user to get up or down and prevents the user from falling out of the shower in the event of foot slippage. As can be appreciated from FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, each horizontal (and as well as a vertical 40) member 30 serves as a support for the user to hold on to while getting in or out of the shower. The surfaces of the vertical 40 and the plurality of horizontal members 30 are coarse for providing grip to a user enabling him/her to get into or out of the shower. As can be appreciated from FIGS. 12 and 13, in one embodiment, the shower comprises a bathtub enclosed by three planar walls or a single curved wall with an open side for providing user access thereinto. Alternatively, the bathtub may be disposed at a corner of the bathroom in the event of the shower being a corner portion. In any case, the support device 10 is adaptable to this embodiment as the vertical member 40 extends from the top of one of the walls of the bathtub and proceeds to connect to the top rod 20, which is similarly positioned as in the earlier embodiment. Similar to the earlier embodiment, the horizontal members 30 extend between the vertical member 40 and the wall of the shower by means of appropriate connectors 50.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Although the embodiments herein are described with various specific embodiments, it will be obvious for a person skilled in the art to practice the invention with modifications. For example, the protective case assembly can be adapted to accommodate a tablet PC by simply altering the dimensions thereof. However, all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A user support device for installation within a shower, the shower comprising an enclosure with an open side for access there into, the device comprising: (a) an elongate vertical support member secured within the shower closer to the threshold thereof, the vertical member extending from the shower floor; and (b) at least one elongate horizontal support member extending between vertical member and inner surface of the of the shower; each of the at least one horizontal member serving as a handrail.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein, the vertical member is disposed substantially midway of the open side.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein, the at least one horizontal member comprises a plurality of horizontal members.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein, the vertical member comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein, the horizontal member comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section.
 6. The device of claim 1 further comprising an elongate horizontal top rod extending between opposite surfaces of the wall or walls of the shower; the vertical member extending between the floor and the top rod.
 7. The device of claim 7 wherein, the top member comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section.
 8. The device of claim 7 wherein, the vertical member is secured to the top member by means of a connector.
 9. The device of claim 1 wherein, each of the at least one horizontal member is secured to the vertical member and the shower by means of connectors.
 10. A user support device for installation within a shower, the shower comprising a walled enclosure with an open side for access there into, the device comprising: (a) an elongate horizontal top rod extending between opposite surfaces of the wall or walls of the shower; (b) an elongate vertical support rod secured within the shower closer to the threshold thereof, the vertical rod extending between top rod and the floor of the shower; and (c) at least one elongate horizontal support rod extending between vertical rod and a wall of the shower.
 11. A user support device for installation within a shower, the shower comprising an enclosed bathtub with one open side for access there into, the device comprising: (a) an elongate vertical support member extending from the top of the wall of the bathtub; and (b) at least one elongate horizontal support member extending between vertical member and the inner surface of the of the shower.
 12. The device of claim 11 wherein, the vertical member is disposed substantially midway of the open side.
 13. The device of claim 11 wherein, the at least one horizontal member comprises a plurality of horizontal members.
 14. The device of claim 11 wherein, the vertical member comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section.
 15. The device of claim 11 wherein, the horizontal member comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section.
 16. The device of claim 11 further comprising an elongate horizontal top rod extending between opposite surfaces of the wall or walls of the shower; the vertical member extending between the bathtub and the top rod.
 17. The device of claim 16 wherein, the top member comprises a rod of uniform circular cross-section.
 18. The device of claim 16 wherein, the vertical member is secured to the top member and the shower by means of connectors.
 19. The device of claim 11 wherein, each of the at least one horizontal member is secured to the vertical member by means of a connector. 